A Visit to Sigtuna, Sweden

North of Stockholm lies the town of Sigtuna, the oldest medieval village in Sweden, founded around 790 AD. The town hall dates from 1744. Visitors are told that, at one time, the residents of Sigtuna all knew that a key to the town hall was hidden behind one of the shutters. On occasion, if someone had too much to drink and was reluctant to deal with his wife’s scolding for getting drunk, he would let himself into the town hall to sleep it off and then face his wife in the morning.

Stora Gatan (High Street) is the main street though the town, lined with low wooden buildings and dotted with quaint shops. Notice the dragon guarding the Tourist Information Office. Also on Stora Gatan is Tant Bruns Kaffestuga, a coffee house named after a character in the children’s book Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender by Elsa Beskow, who lived in Sigtuna. More than 30 runic stones can be found in Sigtuna. The one shown here is located near Mariakyrkan, the Maria Church. The runic stone reads “The Guild-brethren of the Frisians had this stone set up in memory of their guild-brother. God help his soul. Torbjörn carved.”